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墨書 Inktalez
Due to the lack of direct transportation, I took a bus to Liuzhou and then transferred to a long-distance coach. By the time I arrived in the county town, it was already past four in the afternoon. I glanced at my watch and felt relieved that I hadn't wasted any time; I should be able to reach the Armed Department's Reception House before six in the evening.
During the journey, I chatted quite a bit with the people in the same vehicle, gaining some understanding of this place: Xincheng County is under the jurisdiction of Laibin City in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Originally part of Liuzhou's administrative area, Xincheng County now belongs to the newly established Laibin City. It is located in central Guangxi, downstream of the Hongshui River, with favorable natural conditions. The region has a subtropical monsoon climate, abundant sunlight and rainfall, a long frost-free period averaging 40 days per year, and rich resources. The county comprises five towns and eight townships, with a total population of around 400,000. Notably, it is home to many ethnic groups, including Zhuang, Han, Yao, Mulao, Miao, Hui, and Manchu, totaling fifteen ethnicities, among which the Zhuang Ethnic Group accounts for 89.98%. Many villages in the rural areas are nestled in the mountains; due to inconvenient transportation, they have little connection with the outside world and often maintain a primitive agricultural self-sufficiency state. As a result, many legends and stories have been passed down through generations.
In my impression, Guangxi has historically been regarded as a land of southern barbarians. Numerous myths circulate within the vast mountains here, which piqued my curiosity about what this place is truly like. After getting off the bus and exiting the long-distance transport station, I hailed a motorcycle taxi to take me to the Armed Department.
As we sped through the streets on the motorcycle, I noticed that this county town indeed seemed relatively underdeveloped; there were few cars on the road—mostly motorcycles, passenger buses, trucks, and even tricycles. It wasn't long before we arrived at our destination. The Armed Department was situated at the foot of a hill and backed by mountains; I slung my backpack over my shoulder and walked up the stairs leading to it.
Inside the duty room sat a clerk-like person who smiled meaningfully upon learning my identity and said, "You arrived quite quickly." He then picked up the phone and called over someone who looked like an employee to take me to the Reception House to report to the Reinforcement Unit Leader.
When I reached the Reception House, I discovered that the Receiving Unit Leader was someone I knew—a man named Zhao from Shaoyang in Hunan Province. He was around thirty years old and served as Deputy Battalion Commander of the Second Battalion. While I had interacted with him before, we weren't very familiar. However, I had heard from my classmate who worked at the Second Battalion's Health Center that he was quite intelligent and outwardly friendly; he enjoyed chatting with people and was particularly adept at flattering superiors. There was even an anecdote about how he once rushed down from the second floor shouting greetings to a leader whose car had just arrived at their camp entrance—opening doors for him while saluting and shaking hands—though I wasn't sure if it was as exaggerated as it sounded.
Deputy Commander Zhao brought along a squad leader from what appeared to be the Third Battalion; he looked unfamiliar but seemed friendly enough. One of them took my backpack while the other insisted that I sit down for a good chat.
I adopted an attitude of obedience and followed them into a room where they began introducing me to various matters. Deputy Commander Zhao was not very tall but appeared quite shrewd. As soon as he sat down, he exclaimed with surprise, "Ah! I didn't expect our Wang Squad Leader would come! Unexpected indeed! Haha!"
I exchanged pleasantries before casually asking, "How is work progressing? Please assign me some tasks!"
"Oh! Haha! Well! It's good to know that Wang Squad Leader is so dedicated! Here’s what we need: you will be responsible for home visits in the northern township—there are seven households to visit. The task isn't too heavy but requires some effort since they are quite spread out. You'll have your work cut out for you! Once that's done, we'll gather everyone together for another round of health checks; after all, you're a doctor here—this will rely on your expertise! Haha."
"Sure thing," I replied. Suddenly curious about something else, I asked casually, "What happened to the previous military doctor? Why is he hospitalized?"
A flicker of fear and unease crossed Deputy Commander Zhao's face along with that of the squad leader. He laughed nervously again and said, "Oh! It was an acute illness! Tonight I'll have the Armed Department arrange a meal for you—a welcome dinner! It's too late today for you to head out; we'll arrange transportation for you to go to the township first thing tomorrow morning."
I didn't notice their expressions but simply replied, "As for dinner... let's skip it; I'll just take a stroll nearby tonight to see some local scenery."
"No way! You came all this way without even having a meal before heading off? That would seem too inhospitable! Besides, you should at least meet with our department head and political commissar!" I thought about it and realized they had a point; as they say when visiting a new place one should pay respects at local temples—failing to meet local leaders might come off as impolite.
With that thought in mind, I agreed. Just then my phone rang; Deputy Commander Zhao answered it with some affirmations. After hanging up he said to us, "It'll be at our own internal restaurant here at the Armed Department—they've already prepared everything; let's head over."
The dinner that evening was quite pleasant. It was clear that my arrival served as an opportunity for them to gather together with their troops and strengthen their bonds. Deputy Commander Zhao might have been somewhat mistaken about his importance in this arrangement because we were not their only guests; there was also an Air Force Unit present—this unit had come specifically to recruit female soldiers from this county town where only two were available.
I never managed to go out for a stroll in the end because I had drunk too much. My tolerance for alcohol is poor, and I easily get tipsy, so I ended up vomiting repeatedly. I vaguely heard someone, a Military Officer, leaning on my shoulder saying, "Brother, you have guts! No wonder you're from the Old Wild Squad!"
Being praised always feels good, but in my dazed state, I asked back, "How do you know I have guts?"
"I admire you! You’re going to places where no one else dares to go, you know?"
"I know... I know what?" I still couldn't grasp the situation.
Just as I was about to ask more, I noticed he was pulled away by someone else. Then came another round of toasts, and I entered the highest state of drunkenness—blacking out.
When I woke up again, it was already nine in the morning. I patted my head; it felt like it was splitting open. I constantly felt nauseous but couldn't throw up anything. I silently vowed never to drink that much again. Who knew that after the first time, there would be a second? This marked the official start of my drunken escapades.
The Armed Department did well; they sent a dedicated staff member to guide me and gave me a ride to the farthest township—Oudong Township. The plan was to start from the farthest point and work my way back.
As the car drove along the Provincial Road, I suddenly realized an important issue: What the hell is a home visit? What am I supposed to do? No one had told me! Panic set in; how was I going to complete this mission? While on the vehicle, I thought for a moment and casually started chatting with the staff member, Old Lan. "Old Lan, how many years have you been with the Armed Department?"
"Hey, it's been over ten years!" Old Lan was a local from the Zhuang Ethnic Group who had completed high school and was considered educated in the area. He spoke Mandarin quite well, which is why he was recruited by the Armed Department.
"Oh, Old Lan, your Armed Department must have decent benefits!"
"Ah, you have no idea! Our hired staff don’t get any benefits! Those formal officers are the ones who really have it good."
"Really? Aren't you all doing the same job?" I pretended to be surprised.
"You don’t understand? Everyone does similar work but gets paid differently. It’s usually fine, but during recruitment every year, that’s when the differences show!"
"I see. So do you have to accompany them on home visits during recruitment? That sounds tough!" I feigned sympathy.
"Oh no, we don’t go along. We mainly take them to each township where local Military Officers accompany them door-to-door. They know the situation well; they’re familiar with each household's circumstances. Home visits are just sitting down with each family to ask about political situations, family conditions, personal situations, etc., so they can provide references for final evaluations. Ah, it’s still you who has it tough!" Once Old Lan opened up, he couldn’t stop talking.
I exchanged a few polite words, and I had a general understanding of this political review-style home visit. However, one question weighed heavily on my mind: "Old Lan, are there any issues or difficulties in the towns I'm going to?" I felt that if there were no problems, there wouldn't be anyone unwilling to go. The words of that person, the Military Officer, from last night had struck a chord with me. After a few drinks, I sensed that this journey might not be as simple as it seemed.
"I haven't heard of any problems!" Old Lan scratched his head, a look of confusion on his face. It seemed he truly didn't know. I sighed, and after thinking for a moment, he said to me, "But once you get to Oudong Township, you can ask their specialist Military Officer—Wei Guoping. He’s a local and knows the situation well; he’ll be accompanying you throughout, so he can help you the most."
I nodded, looking at the materials provided by the Armed Department. Oudong Township had four households, while Masixiang had three. The plan was to first visit the northernmost Oudong, then return to Masixiang before heading back to the county seat. It was indeed a journey northward. I raised my head and gazed out the window; the vehicle had been driving for about an hour now. Outside, mountains loomed on both sides, lush and green, their peaks shrouded in mist. The Provincial Road was sparsely populated; occasionally, there would be one or two households by the roadside with signs advertising tire repairs and water refills—likely relying on passing traffic for their livelihood.
After less than another hour of driving, I began to see scattered homes along the road. After passing Oudong School, the car made a left turn and entered the streets of Oudong Township. The so-called street was essentially lined with various businesses along both sides of the Provincial Road and two-story residential buildings. There were quite a few people on the street, dressed simply; it felt somewhat lively. After a few more minutes of driving, we arrived at the Township Office.
As soon as the car stopped, someone opened the door and boomed, "Welcome, People's Liberation Army Comrade, to our township to guide us in recruitment work!"
I looked up to see a robust man with a round face and strong features—he had thick eyebrows and big eyes and appeared quite spirited. I quickly got out of the car and shook his hand. "I don't dare to take credit for guiding; let's all work together to ensure this year's recruitment is successful!"
"Hahaha, that's great!" The man laughed heartily. "I’m Wei Guoping; the township head is out but asked me to welcome you. From now on, I'll accompany you, Leader!"
I quickly replied, "I don’t dare to take credit!" In my heart, I thought that this was Wei Guoping; I needed to have a talk with him about what was really going on!
(To be continued; more exciting content tomorrow!)
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